


Timing

by HeyGoodLookin



Category: Outer Banks (TV)
Genre: Gen, Oops, Post season finale fic, but also a bit of fluff, coping like champions, just give these guys some joy, not too much though because slow burn, sad feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:55:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24433912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeyGoodLookin/pseuds/HeyGoodLookin
Summary: Kie and JJ discuss the aftermath.Some sad feels, but mostly some closure.
Relationships: JJ/Kiara (Outer Banks)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 71





	Timing

**Author's Note:**

> You know how I deal with my sad feels?  
> I write stuff and drink wine.   
> Let me know what y'all think. Interested in more?

Kie woke up; her heart pounding and her skin covered in sweat. She blinked around at a dark, empty room. She tried to regulate her breathing, but she couldn’t manage it no matter how hard she tried. She needed to know that nobody else had left her. That she wasn’t alone.

Kie checked her phone shakily. Pope had texted her not an hour before, asking her to try to talk some sense into JJ. She understood why he didn’t call. Things were weird between them. But why did she need to talk sense into JJ? Wasn’t he supposed to be staying with Pope?

Quietly, Kie snuck out of her room and outside into her car. She needed to escape, and frankly, the only person she really wanted to talk to was JJ. So he was going to hear from her whether he liked it or not.

She tried calling four times in a row.

By the fifth time, her somewhat regulated breathing became shallow again.

The sixth time, there was finally an answer.

“Jesus Christ, Kie…” JJ voice was slurred. Either from sleep or weed or possibly beer, she wasn’t sure.

“JJ,” Kie managed between erratic breaths.

“Hey—shit, are you okay?”

“Fine…” Kie tried to take in a deeper breath. It was easier just knowing JJ was alive. “I’ll be fine.”

“You don’t sound fine.”

“I’m…”

“Deep breaths, Kie,” JJ’s voice came in stronger. Maybe he had just been asleep.

“Where are you?” Kie asked shakily.

“I told Pope I was at your place.”

“I thought…I thought you were staying at his?”

“Doesn’t matter,” JJ said evenly. “What happened?”

“What do you mean?” Kie asked.

“With you. You’re not okay, Kie. What happened? What’s going on?”

Kie tried for another deep breath. “Bad dream,” she said simply. Typical JJ, trying to steer the conversation away from his problems.

“Shit,” JJ cursed. “Want me to swing by?”

“I could come to you,” Kie said.

“You’re okay to drive?”

“Yeah,” Kie felt a wash of relief hit her. She was going to see JJ. “Yeah, I’ll be okay. Where are you?”

“Chateau,” JJ’s voice faltered slightly.

“JJ…”

“Don’t worry about, Kie. I’ll see you.”

“Yeah,” Kie breathed. “See you.”

It took Kie far longer than usually to get to the chateau. She had to pull over twice, concentrate on her breathing, and once, cry. She wanted to cry before she got to the chateau. She didn’t want to cry in front of JJ. Usually, she wouldn’t care, but at that moment she did. She wanted to be there for him because she knew despite being filled with anxiety, she had a home to go to. JJ was alone.

And that was the way she found him when she entered the chateau. JJ was lying on the pull out and smoking a joint. A few empty cans littered the floor, but Kie could tell he wasn’t drunk. It took JJ more than a few beers to get drunk. He jolted up when he heard the door close behind Kie.

“It just me,” she said quietly.

JJ’s gaze soften as he took in her red and puffy eyes. “Kie,” he said her name like it kept the world together.

“Hey.”

They looked at each other for a beat. JJ stood up and tossed his joint in a near by tray. His hands swayed awkwardly by his side in a kind of offering. Kie watched his body language; a trick she’d learned from John B. He was always careful to take JJ’s cues when it came to physical affection, and with the trauma of the hot tub incident still so fresh, Kie knew that was what she had to do. JJ kind of twitch his hand out.

“Do you need…I mean— if you want—“

But Kie was already there. She launched herself into his arms and sighed in relief. Yeah, she needed to be held.

“Are you okay?” Kie whispered.

“I’m good,” JJ shrugged against her. “Do you need—“

“Don’t,” Kie pulled back a few millimetres.

“What?”

“Don’t deflect. Don’t make this about me.”

“I’m fine, Kie. I don’t need a therapy session right now. Besides, I wasn’t the one calling and—“

“Pope asked me to check in on you. What happened? I thought you were staying with him?” Kie cut him off again.

JJ clenched his jaw. “I was gonna.”

“JJ,” Kie put a careful hand on his cheek, where a bruise was beginning to fade. “You can talk to me, you know that right? You can always talk to me.”

“I know,” JJ bowed his head. “I just hate shit like this, okay? I don’t need all the drama.”

“Talking about your feelings isn’t drama, JJ. Sad feels or not, you need to process them at some point.”

“Damn it, Kie,” JJ took in a quivering breath. “I lasted all of half an hour at Pope’s, okay? His ol’ man gave me this weird sympathetic look and him mom kept wanting to hug me and Pope was going on about John B being dead and I just couldn’t take it. I left before I could say or do anything fucked up.”

“Shit,” Kie pulled his face up to meet her gaze. “It’s okay. You just needed space.”

“I don’t know what I need,” said JJ.

“I get it.”

“I mean, I kinda know what I need right now.”

“Yeah?” Kie watched as his face broke into a small smile.

“Yeah,” he wrapped his arms around her a bit tighter. “This.”

Kie relaxed against him. “Do you want to lie down?” Even though they were in a tight embrace, Kie could sense JJ raise his eyebrows. “To _sleep,_ ” she chuckled. Yeah, they needed a bit of normalcy.

“You keep tellin’ yourself that,” JJ pulled back and smirked.

Kie felt herself smile as they lay down on their backs.

“I was going to call you anyway, you know,” said Kie.

“Okay,” JJ’s voice seemed oddly distant.

“I mean it,” Kie shifted on her side to face him. “I know Pope texted me, but I wanted to call you even before I read his text.”

JJ examined her expression for a moment. “But you kissed him.”

“Because I was hurting, because he was hurting, because… God damn it, JJ, because he was _there_ and I a stupid girl and wanted a distraction. I know I shouldn’t have used him like that, because now it’s weird.”

“You’re not a stupid girl.”

“I’ve kissed two out of three of my best friends.”

“Care to make it a hat trick?” JJ grinned in spite of himself.

“JJ…” Kie rolled her eyes. “It’s just weird now. And I don’t even like Pope that way. I shouldn’t have done any of that.”

“Fuck, Kie, any guy would be crazy not to have a crush on you. You just acted on impulse and need and I don’t blame you. Hell, guys do it all the time.”

“I guess so,” Kie tried to nod.

“Look, just talk to Pope tomorrow or something. Let him cool off a bit.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t blame yourself,” JJ continued in an oddly gentle voice. “But just to clarify… you don’t like him.”

“No,” Kie swallowed hard. “I don’t.”

JJ nodded. “Kie… I know I suck at stuff like this but, for what it’s worth, I’m not going anywhere. And I care about you.”

“It’s worth a hell of a lot, JJ,” Kie felt herself inch closer to him. Why was this happening? It was like that time in the hot tub. It was so confusing.

“Cool,” JJ gazed into her eyes. “We’ll make it through this, alright Kie?”

“Yeah,” Kie breathed. God, they were so close.

“Kie,” JJ leaned towards her another milimeter. “I meant what I said. Any guy would be an idiot not to have a crush on you. Part of me couldn’t stay with Pope because… well, because I was jealous as hell. I’ve wanted to kiss you since forever.”

“Why didn’t you?” Kie couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“No Pogue on Pogue macking, remember?”

“Fat lot of good that did us,” Kie chuckled under her breath.

“True,” said JJ. “Do you…?”

“I don’t know,” Kie was so tempted. She wanted to kiss him. She really wanted to.

“I know,” JJ tried not to sigh.

“It’s not that I don’t like you,” said Kie. “Cause I do. I knew the minute we hugged in the cat’s ass and probably before then even. I just—“

“I know,” JJ pulled away slightly and held his arms open to her. “The timing is shit.”

“Yeah,” Kie curled into his embrace. “It’s not that I don’t want to try this… what ever _this_ is. It’s just…”

“I don’t want you to feel pressured, Kie. I’ll wait.”

“Yeah?” Kie looked up at him.

“Yeah,” JJ smiled. “Let’s just take it one day at a time.”

**Author's Note:**

> slow buuuuuuurn


End file.
